Griffonia
by SoaringGryphonProductions
Summary: Before the time of Griffonstone, Equestria was on the rise with Princess Celestia set on expanding the lands. Yet when ponies expand into other territories, there is bound to be resistance. From this resistance, heroes arose bringing pride into the heart of every griffon to this day.
1. Chapter 1

**My Little Pony: Griffonia**

 **Chapter 1: Enter the Forest**

The Griffon Kingdom has an ancient past. Some would say the Kingdom is older than Equestria. In ancient times before the founding of Griffonstone, the lands to the north were wooded and occupied by many tribes linked by trading between one another. It was a land rich with gold in their mountains and streams, and iron in the foothills.

One of the most influential of the tribes is the Ari griffons. Forest-dwelling griffons, they would be the first line of defense against any attack. This tribe is famous for it's warriors. One of them would go down in history, and bring pride to the heart of every griffon. She would be viewed in infamy among those ponies that faced her: Goda.

A bald eagle-black panther griffon, a birth defect caused her whole body to be coated in a shade of black from beak tip to tail. With a free spirit and a love of swimming, Goda is the next in line to be chief. One day, an envoy came up the trail. They were wearing gold armor with blue crests. Something about them didn't sit well with her.

She looked down at them from the branches of a tree, and flew back to the village with much haste, "Father, we have visitors on their way," she said to him,

Her father was named Gerulf, a typical bald eagle-lion griffon, he is the chief and a veteran warrior, "I know, this is indeed unexpected," he said to his daughter,

Goda is not his daughter by birth. Her birth mother died in egg laying. Her birth father was so stricken with grief that he committed suicide days later. The queen at the time, Gunda, took her in and raised her alongside the chief. His wife watched as Goda turned into a beautiful griffon, and a skilled warrior with their traditional weapons.

Gunda has told her the story years ago of the day she found her, and her words were never forgotten by her, "It does not matter who you are, or what you look like, to me and to your father, you will always be our daughter," Gunda once said to Goda, sadly the Queen would not live to see her go to battle as she passed on due to illness

Gerulf grinned lightly to his daughter with her matching cloak and tunic. Goda had a pair of perfectly wide and healthy looking haunches behind her with an unrivaled smoothness or so her she-griffon friends in the village tell her, "You look just like your mother, and with her spirit too," he complimented as the village guards bowed to him.

"Be steady now, Goda, we want to civil around our guests," Gerulf instructed to his daughter as the ponies entered the chief's hut, "welcome...welcome,"

Gerulf wore a winged 'Agen' style helmet in battle with wolf skins, a dark green tunic and a chainmail hauberk, "Chief Gerulf, we are honored to meet you,"

Something about these visitors did not sit well with his daughter at his side. She could see the looks of disgust at their customs from cooking and eating meat to the primitive huts these griffons lived in, "Do not try and earn our favor with your empty praises, ponies, you will not earn it in this village," said Goda, the chief signaled to stop.

"What makes this she-griffon think she can speak to a stallion like that?" asked the envoy accusingly toward Chief Gerulf, the Griffon Chief stood up from his carved wooden throne, and walked with the envoy around the village to cool their tongues. She followed to make sure that the chief would be safe, and that these ponies will not kill him.

"Though my daughter speaks out of turn, she does make a valid point, why have you come to our village at this time?" asked Chief Gerulf, a skilled veteran of a warrior with a sword called a Spatha and often an oval or coffin-shaped shield. The weapons of the Ari tribe were the longsword, hewing spear, war club, and the broad axe.

"Land and Air," said the envoy, the chief was anything but convinced by his rather odd request, "all our great princess asks of you is an offering of Land and Air,"

Gerulf looked to his daughter whom these ponies just insulted, and their rudeness concluded with his actions, "So sorry," he said, and decapitated the envoy,

The cries for blood and battle echoed among the woods. Goda cleaved one down the skull with her sword while a few of her female griffon warriors ran the Equestrian legionaries with spears, and split skulls with war clubs and axes. Gerulf sheathed back his sword while his warriors, tercels and hens, finished off the envoy's guards, "More will come,"

"Yes, more will come, and I would rather give my life for this land than see it corrupted by those ponies and their decadent ways," said Gerulf, the heads of the envoy and his officer were nailed to the trees at the entrance of the forest as a warning. The bodies were burned in a deep pit away from the village, and buried, "a funeral fit for a pony,"

"Prepare for battle, have your warriors ready at the drop of a blade, I will call upon the other chiefs to gather at our village, and answer the call to arms," Gerulf said to his daughter, and she followed. Blades were sharpened on whetstones, spears and shields were prepared. A white dazzle-lightning design was painted on Goda's entire left half.

A huge bonfire roared in the middle of the village, and the villagers made food for the chiefs of the surrounding villages, "Beautiful and deadly," said Gerulf,

"Mother once said that is how you like your women, and that she is unrivaled," said Goda, her father smirked a grin. To the ponies, these griffons are Barbarians


	2. Chapter 2

**My Little Pony: Griffonia**

 **Chapter 2: Pax Equestria**

The slaying of the envoys to the Northlands prompted swift action from Princess Celestia. Some griffons tribes were massacred in thousands. Others allied themselves with Equestria seeing a chance to settle old feuds with neighboring tribes. Many nobles of these allied griffon tribes would send their hatchlings to be educated in the ways of Equestria.

Fortified outposts were being built along the River Guto for the Equestrian Legions. There were blacksmiths and potters, barracks for the soldiers and special villas for the officers to make live for 'livable' for these troops with minds set on conquest. Meanwhile in the village in the Forests of the Ari, the chief of the Hauk tribe came to see his cousin.

"Glond, good to see you," said Gerulf, a handsome griffon himself, Glond is a dark grey eagle-lion griffon with a golden-yellow beak,

They greeted each other with taloned paws on their shoulders, "Gerulf, I see you gave the pony envoys your hospitality?" he joked,

Glond wore a similar helmet to Gerulf with his cousin boasting a horned helmet instead of wings with a black crest made on the top made from the tail of a slain pony envoy. Gerulf wore chainmail armor with chainmail shoulder guards. Glond wore iron scale armor with a Spatha at his side on his belt, a shield on his back, and holding a hewing spear.

Where Gerulf wore wolf skins on his helmet that go down to his wings, Glond wore a brown bearskin cloak as his sign that he has earned his right as chief of his tribe. Both chiefs had the skinned head with the teeth still attached rested on top of their helmets making them intimidating foes on the battlefield, "Goda, what a griffon you have become,"

"You seem to be in good spirits yourself, even with the enemy trying to bring us to heel," Goda said, proudly wearing her war paint,

"They may try, but they do not know these lands like we do," said her uncle, "your day will come when you will rule the tribe, rule well,"

Like Gerulf, Chief Glond were a knew a warrior when he saw one. With two talons from his left front paw, he gestured for Goda to approach him. Glond inspected her by touching and lightly gripped her right shoulder, and lightly tapping the side of her war-painted left flank making it lightly wiggle. She grinned, and nodded to him. He nodded back.

"A warrior indeed," said Glond, doing what he did as a check of Goda's muscle tone, and not violate her in any way, shape, or form. Female griffon warriors often went as they are into battle armed with shields and weapons and no armor. This is to let their enemies know that they do not fear them, and they will fight to their last dying breath.

Using a scramasax, Chief Glond pointed out all the outposts on the map, "The enemy is encamped along the river, here...here...and here,"

"We cannot attack each fort headlong, we need to lead them out into the forest," said Gerulf, "the Equestrian Army is designed for open warfare,"

Goda raised her talon for permission to speak. In this society, women were treated as equals in the village and even during a war council, "Father...Uncle Glond, our enemy has been warned to never venture into the forest, the problem I see is that they want to get us out into the open, and fight a battle on their terms," Goda explained to them,

"The pony legionary fight in what they call a 'testudo', it has a weakness, everything has a weakness," said Chief Glond, scratching his chin,

"Hmm...If that is so, then I am sure we can comply," said Chief Gerulf with a fox-like grin on his beak, he had a plan for these ponies. Chief Glond put his scramasax back in it's sheath, and rolled up the map. The meeting was adjourned with a plan for battle that both chiefs agreed on. The village she-griffons soon began the preparations for the battle.

Oil was being boiled in cauldrons, and weapons and warrior were blessed, "Goda, I need for you to go and scout ahead," said Gerulf to his daughter,

"Yes, father," said Goda, she knew her part in the battle, there is no better honor than to fight side-by-side with the chief, "do not worry for my safety,"

"I trust you will make it make to the village safely, now off you go," said Chief Gerulf, and saw his daughter fly out of the village into the night. She climbed up the posts without any of the guards noticing, and overheard the officers gathered and making their plans. The ponies plan to bring the griffon 'Barbarians' out in the open at Forthwind Fields.

 _'Alright you decadent ponies...we will play games...your way'_ Goda thought, and leaped off the posts of the fortified outpost, and flew off into the darkness of the night. The ponies were to march out in two days. This gave the griffons time to prepare. The dark brown color of the earth made it easy to hide oil, and to lead these ponies into a trap.

Goda returned to the village, "The ponies will march out in two days, they will be at least ten thousand strong," said Goda to her father and Chief Glond,

"Good work, Goda, see to it that your warriors are prepared to fight," he ordered with a grin to his daughter for accomplishing her task without problems,

Meanwhile, Chiefs Gerulf and Glond made preparations to the field. Nothing grows on Forthwind Field. Warriors from the Ari and Hauk tribes painted areas of the field with oil. Goda's warriors sharpened weapons, and applied war paint in dazzle designs from spirals to zigzag designs to their smooth and dark-colored fur. The Ari and Hauk will go to war


	3. Chapter 3

**My Little Pony: Griffonia**

 **Chapter 3: Fires of Battle (Battle of Forthwind Field)**

All the necessary preparations were made. The dark soil of the battlefield masked a trap. A gathered force of five thousand tercel and she-griffon warriors gathered to defend their homeland. Approaching from the south was the Equestrian Legions. Ten thousand ponies in iron and steel like a monster with teeth and claws of steel gladii and iron pila.

Chief Gerulf and Glond put on their helmets, and fastened the cheek pieces for battle with their wolfskin and bearskin cloaks over their backs and the tops of their helmets. Goda went up to her father's side as her she-griffon warriors were ready. She looked on at the larger and more imposing army of ponies on the march to quash this 'minor nuisance'.

"So many," Goda said, seeing the gathered army,

"Your fear is natural, just turn it toward purpose," said Glond,

"We all felt fear in our first battle," said Gerulf, patting Goda

"Use the hills as cover, and fly around their forces, and flank them," Chief Gerulf said to his daughter, Goda nodded and took her band of a few hundred she-griffon warriors. To the ponies, Griffonia is the very heart of darkness, and it's inhabitants are uncivilized savages with barbaric pagan customs. These ponies will learn underestimating is never wise

Leading the ponies was a decorated general named Furious, "Insolent catbirds...I want the heads of those chiefs on a silver plate," He snarled, and pointed his sword with his unicorn magic, "cohorts at the ready, Equestrians forward!" Chiefs Gerulf and Glond put on their helmets. Gerulf unsheathed his sword. Chief Glond clinched his spear for battle.

All the griffons cheered, and raised their weapons to the sky ready for battle. They roared mighty roars to the ponies in defiance. Furious was not phased by the smaller army standing before them on the other side of the rolling fields, "Other species should know when they are conquered," he said, looking on at the enemy they see as inferior to them.

Pony legionaries are taught to be ready for anything an enemy can throw at them. They marched toward the enemy in a 'Testudo' formation. The Chiefs agreed the best way to beat the formation was to insight panic. Chief Glond nodded to an archer griffon to make ready. With a fire arrow being drawn from his bow, the archer shot the arrow skyward.

The arrow fell back down, and struck the ground covered in oil and the trap was sprung. The ground covered in oil turned into a sea of flames, and the ponies were caught in it. The screams of pain echoed on the spring wind, causing the 'testudo' to fall apart, "Fire!" Gerulf yelled with a downward slash, and it began to rain down arrows from the archers

It was chaos in the ranks of ponies with ponies on fire, and then the arrows rained down on the ponies, "What in the name of Celestia?" General Furious said, having not seen tactics like that being used before. As the flames began to die down, the griffons attacked amid the burnt bodies of dead ponies. To the ponies, this is no battle, but a massacre.

"Sir, this is a disaster, we must flee!" said an officer in panic,

"No!" snapped Furious, "I will not bow to these filthy savages!"

"For Celestia! Ponies never surrender!" he called out to the chiefs,

Just then, a few ponies began to retreat despite Commander Furious's orders for them to stand their ground. Their gladii and pila quivered in the unicorn magic holding them as the griffon warriors were closing in on them. The air smelled of burnt flesh from the trap the cohorts of legionaries were led into. The might of Celestia's kingdom can be beaten.

Chiefs Glond and Gerulf fought bravely in battle as chiefs do, slaying every pony legionary that got in their way as they led the attack going down a hillside. Furious made many mistakes in his battle tactics. One is letting pride get the better of him, and refusing to have pegasus reinforcements as he said: "earth ponies and unicorns can handle this filth,"

Only a few hundred remained from the ten thousand that marched into Griffonian Territory from Cantorlot. The standard of the first legions that marched into battle was lost to the flames. The oil trap was not the only one that these griffon tribes had planned. The battle-cries of Goda, and her she-griffon warriors came from the back as they charged in.

Goda, dazzled in her zig-zagged lightning war paint on her black pelt and feathers, led an attack on the flanks of Furious's legions as they were taken by surprise. The last thing he saw as he turned was Goda's spatha which sliced off his head with one clean slash across the neck. Her warriors came armed with hewing spears, axes, and war clubs to fight

Spears ran their blades into pony flesh, axes and war clubs split and cracked open skulls with splattering blood and brains as offering and tribute to the war god on Forthwind Field. Within only a few hours, the battle was won. The griffons had captured the standard of the Equestrian Legions. Not a single pony was left alive. The griffons lost only two.

It was a lopsided victory for the griffons, and a lesson for the ponies to learn not to underestimate their foe. Though clans will grieve for the loss of their loved ones in battle, still they fought and brought honor to their families and their clans. Furious's severed head was placed on a sharpened stick, and the bodies left to the crows to warn all Equestrians.

"There is a lesson to be learned, Good Goda," said Gerulf,

"What would that be, father?" Goda asked curiously for his wisdom,

"That even a mighty empire...bleeds when struck," he stated,


End file.
